Making pasta at home or while traveling is an easy, nutritious dinner. Adding a protein and a vegetable makes your pasta dish satisfying. Garnishing your dish with olive oil and Parmesan cheese makes it special. Tonight in our little self-catering vacation unit we had a lovely, simple meal that was probably better than most of the food we have eaten on our trip.

We bought a little packet of Parmesan rinds about a week ago and it added a bit of luxe to our dinner tonight. I used a grater and a peeler to give us two different grinds of the cheese. We bought the EVOO two weeks ago in Utah and have been using it on salads, sandwiches, and dinners. Spending $10+ on a small bottle of oil really made a difference.

If you are trying to find a way to make dollars stretch on a vacation then look for vacation units that have a kitchen, bring along pantry staples and kitchen tools, and try to stay several days in one place that will allow you to see a number of different sights from a home base.